Chapter 53

After parking her car under Amy's apartment building, Melissa gave her a call "Amy, I'm downstairs at your place, are you home?" "I am. The front door is open, just come on up," Amy's voice came through the phone, sounding somewhat weak. Melissa swiftly climbed up to the fifth floor, noticing that Amy's front door was ajar and she quickly darted inside. What caught her eye was an appalling mess. The furniture in Amy's apartment was tossed about haphazardly, everything had been thrown to the floor, piling up into a small mountain. Melissa walked in a circle around the room, observing that the ceramic plates and bowls in the kitchen had been smashed to pieces, and there was garbage strewn all over the floor. Even the sheets in Amy's bedroom were slashed, with traces of intentional urination. "Amy, when did this happen?" Melissa slowly approached Amy, cautiously questioning her. Amy sat on the couch, with her hands burrowed deep into her hair, her eyes radiating fatigue and despair. Her voice trembled slightly. "I don't know... My supervisor mentioned a public lesson I was to deliver in the afternoon. I merely came home to pick up some materials during my lunch break. I never imagined such a thing would happen." "Amy, is anything missing at home? Did you call the police?" Melissa pulled out her phone, thinking if Amy hadn't reported the incident, she should do it immediately. "No." Amy's answer was faint and weary. She looked up at Melissa, her eyes filled with confusion. "Melissa, the strange thing is, nothing's missing from the house. It's almost like someone was intentionally causing damage." Melissa's eyebrows furrowed, and she mumbled to herself "So this isn't a burglary, but rather a warning or intentional retaliation." Amy stood up from the couch, looking at her ravaged home, her eyes welling up with tears, "Melissa, do you think it's her? I can't think of anyone else." Suddenly, Melissa recalled the phone call she had received in her car. Nancy had threatened her to delete the video and said next time wouldn't be a merely a scare. The "her" in question must be Amy. The wrecking of Amy's home was definitely Nancy's handiwork, intended as a reprisal for the trap Melissa and Amy had set at the café. "Amy, don't panic. I will help you tidy up this mess. What about your public lesson this afternoon?" Melissa assisted Amy to a clean chair and softly asked. Everything would've been better if only Melissa had realized earlier that Nancy might take full advantage of Amy's vulnerability. "I've applied for leave. I can't possibly attend classes looking like this" Amy wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, grabbing onto Melissa's shoulders instinctively. "Melissa, do you think it was Nancy? Do you think she's behind all this?" Melissa nodded quietly, at a loss as to how she should comfort Amy. "Amy, it's all my fault. You wouldn't get involved if I had faced her alone. I didn't think ahead for you." "Why did she treat me like this? Why? If she’s holding a grudge, she could confront me directly in my office, shout at me or even slap me in the face. I wouldn't argue. But why did she have to commit such a despicable act when I wasn’t around?" As Amy spoke, her tears streamed down her face, causing Melissa's heart to ache. "Given Nancy's ways, there isn't much she wouldn't do. But since this has happened, we can only face it together. Next time, I'll ensure that she pays for what she’s done to you." Melissa declared with determination. Looking at the mess in Amy's house, Melissa made a firm resolve not to give up until she had brought down Nancy and Liam. "Don't continue, Melissa. I'm afraid that woman will hurt you badly. It seems she really wouldn’t hold back, not even considering our old ties. She's capable of anything!" Amy said through her glasses with a touch of fear, clinging tight to Melissa's hand. Of course, if Nancy cared about sisterly bonds, she wouldn’t have stolen Melissa's husband, taken her wealth, or framed her for infidelity. No, it wasn't infidelity, it was force! Nancy, the cruel and ruthless woman, would commit legality infringement to achieve her goals. How could Melissa swallow this indignation? How could she not reclaim what is hers? Nothing could detract Melissa from her desire for revenge. She decided to proceed with her reprisal, her claim, while leaving no evidence. If Nancy can be cold-hearted, Melissa will have to be even more ruthless. "Amy, don’t worry, I won't let her have the chance to hurt me or you anymore. Please, take a moment to calm down. I'm going downstairs to buy a bottle of water for you. After that, we'll clean up together. I promise to restore your beautiful home within two hours." Melissa gave Amy the courage she needed, making her smile. Once she comes back from buying water, they would start tidying up the house. "Hey, Peter, I need your help urgently. Can you come out quickly? I'll send you the location" Melissa didn't beat around the bush when it came to asking Peter for help. It was clear that they had a strong friendship. "Alright, send me the location, and I'll rush over right now!" Peter agreed, quickly shutting down his office computer. He would entrust tomorrow's tasks to his secretary shortly, and then leave the office early. "Hold on, Peter don't come over yet. If it's convenient, can you have your assistant buy a few things for me and have them delivered to the location I sent you?" When Melissa thought about the fact that Peter had just returned to the country and the pile of work surely waiting for him at the company, she knew he must be tied down. She had been too impatient before, without considering Peter's inconvenience. "Alright, tell me what you need, I'll send someone to buy it right now." Peter said calmly over the phone. He put on his coat; as long as Melissa needed help, he would personally go out to buy things with his assistant. "I need a set of bed linens, girl's style in the blue series. Some cooking pots and dishes, some mugs and tea set, and… just typical items for girls for daily use, just buy a little extra and I will transfer money to you." Melissa racked her brain to come up with some items that would typically be used in a household, along with things for which she didn't know the name, and asked Peter to also purchase those. These were all things she owed Amy, so she must repay Peter, since he had already helped her out and she couldn't possibly make him pay for it as well. "Melissa, you've provided a rather vague list. However, I'll have my assistant do his best." Peter had no idea what was happening on Melissa's end, but he felt that this time she must be extremely flustered, otherwise, she wouldn't be buying household items in broad daylight.